The BJP which has been facing intense criticism over various misdemeanours, ranging from illegal mining to land denotification scam, was further hit by a scandal on Tuesday when two of its MLAs were caught watching obscene video clips in the State Assembly during a discussion. Laxman Savadi, minister for cooperation, and C C Patil, minister for women and child welfare, were watching the clip on the cellphone of Savadi when the house was in session discussing a serious matter.
The ministers were caught in the act when the house was in the middle of the heated debate on the recent hoisting of Pakistan flag in Sindagi in Bijapur district. Close up of the ministers watching the clips were beamed on television channels in the evening. The television visuals showed both ministers sitting next to each other, gazing into Savadi’s handset. This is the first time in the history of the state assembly that two responsible ministers were involved in a shameful act, the members of the assembly said. Savadi, Patil and chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda were not immediately available for comment. Opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) blasted the ministers and sought their immediate dismissal. “The two ministers should be expelled from the assembly,” the parties demanded. “This is the most shameful incident in the history of the state assembly. Savadi should be sacked as minister and expelled from the assembly,” leader of the opposition in the assembly Siddaramaiah of the Congress told reporters.
State JD(S) chief and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy too sought the immediate dismissal of Savadi and said his party would decide on Wednesday what action is to be taken in the assembly and outside over the “shocking incident”.
As the legislature will be in session for the next three days, the incident is likely to generate a lot of heat and embarrassing moments for the ruling BJP in the state.
